MY WITCH 20: Parent's Night
by NotQuiteNormOld
Summary: It's parents' night at the school, and Hay Lin is very excited, but not Elyon or Will. Elyon feels that Cedric is the only one who understands her, not her friends, and especially not her family.
1. Chapter 1

Symbols of body, spirit and mind. According to the ancient spirits Phobos' sister of blood would be weaker. Her resistance would flail. She was almost ready to be collected. The spell wouldn't last forever, but Lord Cedric had already set a plan in motion. Prince Phobos could smell the air's clarity. All would be resolved regarding his blood-kin once she had been brought to him. Her coronation would be the crowning glory of her demise as he absorbed the power that had be scandalously purged into her impotent body.

Yes, soon enough Phobos would reign full power, and then he could save and restore. He would collect his new family for his own burdens. The boy of the plant people. The girl who was sent to walk for the castle. One was growing stronger and the other apparently already immortal. Neither of his blood, but what could Phobos do to complain. He was alone, so the Gods had allowed him to create a play-mate. He needed to be cared for, so the Gods had hand-picked a girl to replace his ghastly sister. The Gods had found someone who could take away the emptiness of being alone, and Phobos felt as he had when his mother announced he'd soon have a new sister.

Phobos couldn't wait to meet her.

**...**

"You have to go soon Elyon." Elyon Brown pushed her dust-cloth harder against the spines of the books. She didn't want to go. School didn't seem the place it used to be. She felt like she was fading; the world fogging over her as if she never existed. Cedric said it was pressure, but Elyon - thankful as she was that he'd tried to understand - knew it wasn't pressure. Elyon liked pressure. If she had a hundred and one things to do within the hour she felt like it must matter that she did it. That she mattered. But then there was the emptiness of being done. Finished. That after all those things she'd been expected to do, no one cared what she did once the job got done. She became disposable. Elyon had seen Cornelia get upset about Will and Caleb hugging. She'd been in the background. Invisible. No one even cared if she existed at school. "School s important. For now."

For now. That was right. What she did now wouldn't matter soon enough as in three or four years she'd be old enough to leave. Cornelia would go away to college. Irma and Hay Lin would lose contact. Taranee wouldn't help her study when math was starting to overwhelm her. And Will would disappear too. But that didn't necessarily upset her. The standard point was the same though. Nothing she did now would count for anything after school. Most people would fight that she'd get her qualifications. But Elyon wasn't clever. She didn't excel at anything and she had no idea where she wanted to be in ten years time. Wasn't that just pitiful? "Did you ever have a dream job Cedric? What did you want to be?"

"Elyon. As a young boy I only wanted to be one thing." Elyon's eyes traveled to Cedric's back; his plain jeans and baggy white shirt which he tucked in to his belt. His hair hung as always in a thin ponytail, and the straightness and colour lay as a constant reminder to Elyon of Cornelia. That reminder was quickly going sour. "I wanted to be alive. As long as we are alive, we mean something."

It was beautiful. It meant so much and nothing at all, but Elyon couldn't help feeling sad. Life wasn't always good. It could be hard and sad and lonely. But she knew what Cedric meant. It was all about purpose. Needing one. "I think that's beautiful Cedric."

"And what about you?" Elyon's stomach sank as she pushed more books around on their shelves, dusting as she went. "What do you want to be?"

It was a difficult question, but as Elyon refolded her cloth and wiped another spine she smiled. "Important."

"That, my dear, you already are."

**...**

"You know, my father doesn't even talk to me, and it's like my mom is from a whole other world. I just don't think I have anything in common with them anymore." Cornelia Hale held the door of Ye Olde Bookstore where it was, a crack open, between the frame and the bell. She could here Elyon's voice ringing out through the large room. Telling the shop owner the things she used to tell Cornelia. "It's like we don't have that thing.. That bond people are meant to share with their family.."

"Hello?" Cornelia had leaned on the door to hear better and the bell had sounded. Heavy footsteps were walking in her direction, and the store owner turned the corner as Cornelia was stepping inside.

"Hi!" Cornelia smiled, her grin was wide and fake, but she knew that the shopkeeper wouldn't know better. She raised her hand in a timid wave as Elyon joined Cedric, looking at her, almost resentfully. It made Cornelia's heart sink that Elyon didn't connect to her anymore, but even Elyon would have noticed the gap pushed between them by Cornelia's looming secrets. Will. Cornelia knew that Elyon thought Will was behind this, and in a way she supposed the girl was right. But it wasn't Will's fault. Cornelia wished she could take back all of the things she'd done to push Will and Elyon apart. The gossip. Matt. "Hi Elyon! You wanna walk to school?"

"I called you the other night.. Your mom said you were out with the other girls?"

Cornelia cursed her mother. Elyon had spoken casually; flicking a stray hair over her shoulders, but Cornelia knew what was in the voice. Fear. Hurt. Rejection. Accusation. "Right! Well.. We had to close a- ah.. There was this.." Cornelia's cheeks warmed a little, and a blush would be spreading over her face in a cool pinkish glow, but Elyon was still waiting, "Eh.. Will's frog was sick."

Not again. Cornelia could only ever get angry when Will was around, but she knew she shouldn't constantly use the redhead as an excuse. Cornelia was quickly filling a deep hole and she knew that Will was already stuck at the bottom of it when it came to Elyon. "Will's frog is a stuffed animal."

"You know.." Cornelia looked down, her skirt blowing slightly in the light breeze that entered the store from the open door behind her. "It wasn't so much of an illness as a washing machine accident.. Heh.. Heh.."

"I.. I have some stuff to do here. See you later?" It was probably a lie, but Cornelia knew she was at bad at fibbing to Elyon as Elyon was to her. She didn't have a right to call Elyon her best friend anymore. Cornelia nodded, feeling her mouth go a little drier as her eyes began to sting. Sometimes she wished none of this had ever happened.


	2. Chapter 2

"Parents night tomorrow.._ 'Food; art; fun, fun, fun'_. Taranee Cook was squinting at the Institute's notice board and wondering why Principal Knickerbocker insisted that her posters be worded and decorated as though for kindergarten pupils. It was just insulting.

"Oh yeah, ngh-" Irma headed a ball, grunting as it hit off her head and went flying in the wrong direction. "Parents at school.. Nothing else says _'fun, fun, fun'_ like that!"

"I know right!" Taranee grinned as Hay Lin bubbled with happiness. Hay Lin really was a child at heart. "I can't wait to show my parents my art project! And my science project! And, oh, my-"

"Mine'll spend the whole night pushing back my hair and saying, _'Why'd you wanna hide that pretty face!'_, could anything be less cool?"

Taranee grinned as Irma kicked the ball at Cornelia, who stepped forward to stop it, and kick it back. Irma yawned, "How is it uncool for your parents to do that, but it's perfectly acceptable to you to do that to yourself?" Irma pushed her own hair behind her ears mimicking Cornelia, "_'Why would I ever want to hide this pretty face?'_!"

"Oh you're funny."

"Thanks. But try your mother bringing cookies with your name on them. Your pet name from when you were little!" Taranee knew that Irma's step mother tried to do as much as she could to involve herself with Irma. She also knew that most of the time, Irma loved this extra attention; Irma was known to get on exceptionally with Anna Lair.

Hay Lin received and picked up the ball, bouncing it experimentally before she kicked it again, "Does _'schroopy pants' _fit on a cookie?"

"Droopy pants."

"Oh." Hay Lin smiled comfortingly, "That's much less humiliating!"

"You think you guys have problems?" Taranee jumped a little, not having noticed Will arrive, never mind realized that the redhead was standing right behind her. "Check this out."

The other girls started to walk over as Taranee took the paper Will held out to her. A math test. It looked very.. Will. Cornelia's long fingers pulled the paper out of Taranee's hands, and Taranee smirked as Cornelia raised her eyebrow. "You still dot your 'i's with smiley faces?"

"No. I was bored okay?" Taranee shook her head as Will pouted, snatching back her work. "But look at the grade. I got a C! I can hide this or shred it or eat it or something, but on parents night, when my mom talks to Mrs Rudolph.. I'm grounded."

Realization struck Taranee, "But without you, we can't transform! Whe-"

"Oh, hi! Elyon!" Taranee scowled; Cornelia's elbow jabbing into her stomach. She smiled though, and waved along with the other girls. Elyon didn't return the gesture.

"Don't let me interrupt you!"

"We need to tell her!" Taranee felt sorry for Will; having to constantly deal with Cornelia. Cornelia didn't oblige to rules. Cornelia made rules.

Will didn't seem so flexible to Cornelia today though, and Taranee wondered if it was something to do with all of Caleb's encouragement. Taranee got that he had originally tried to control Cornelia for Will, but Will didn't seem as afraid of Caleb as she was of Cornelia. Now Caleb was stepping back and Will finally seemed to be holding her own. "No. She'd freak. Which is just what Phobos needs to swoop in. Caleb and Blunk have it under control."

"Ehem." Taranee laughed out loud as Will's shoulders shot to her ears; Principal Knickerbocker was right behind her. "Family tree charts, donated by a local bookstore. I want you to fill them out with your parents, attaching photos of your relatives!"

"I'd rather shave my head an wear crown shoes to the prom!" Taranee grinned as Cornelia sneered at the chart, Will digging the item into her pocket and making the paper crumple and probably tear.

"Hey, at least you don't have to fit your bloody step-family in here.." Irma use her fingers to inch up the page; trying to see if she'd have enough room.

"Yeah.." Will grinned, "What exactly can she do if we don't take these in?"

"Wow.. Why wouldn't you want to!" Will's face fell as Hay Lin's eyes glittered - she supposed Will's reaction was from shock of someone actually being excited by this. "This is gonna be-"

Hay Lin never got to finish her sentence as Irma slapped her palm to Hay Lin's mouth.

**...**

"Dad! Mr Hoffman has taught me so much about family histories, and how important it is to know your roots!" Elyon was pacing toward her parents, who sat at their plain kitchen table, but made a quick turn as she felt tears pricking at her eyes. It was silly. She had no reason to be upset. Neither Cornelia, nor Will or any other ninth-grader was taking this seriously.. But no matter how Elyon tried, she couldn't let it go. "He _especially _wanted to see _my _family tree chart."

"Honey, we did the-"

Elyon whirled around, slamming her fists against the table between her parents. She was sick of excuses. "There are no pictures here except from ours!"

"Oh! Elyon!" Elyon didn't care anymore as tears washed down her freckled cheeks. Her mother stood to hug her, but Elyon stepped back; stumbling away from them. They weren't her family. They'd never been her family. Strangers, with blood as their only commonality. The only thing keeping her here.

"Where are all the Aunts and Uncles and cousins! How come we don't have pictures! How come none of them visit!" Elyon stopped retreating when her mother sat back down, her father sighing and shifting his tie as though it were too tight. "WELL?"

"It's a small family.. Your mother and I were both only children.."

"There was a fire.. Fifty years ago.. Your great aunt Silvia; she lost a lot of.. Documents.."

It didn't make sense. It still didn't make sense to Elyon. Wasn't she worth the bother? Surely they had something.. Not one photograph? Elyon pushed open the door to go to her room, only stopping to yell down their rickety plain stairs. "FORGET IT!"


	3. Chapter 3

"To pritt or not to pritt.." Will smiled as if her lifeless frog toys were listening to her. "For that _is _the question."

It wasn't very funny, but Will didn't care as she tried to provide herself a little comfort. It wasn't a big deal. No one cared. But yet Will had insisted on forcing herself through the misery of throwing out and rustling through the contents of eight boxes of her mother's documents until she'd found what she was looking for. The living room and her mother's bedroom were in states. If she wasn't grounded for her math scores, this performance would surely do the trick. But even Irma was changing the lines on her chart to fit her step mother..

Will pressed the pritt-stick against the empty box of her page, and suddenly she wish she hadn't bothered. Nothing would come but trouble when her mother walked up to see Tony Vandom pasted next to their faces. Will pressed the palm of her hand against the paper box and tried to swipe away the glue, creating a sticky mess and re-crumpling her already creased family chart. But why shouldn't he be on it? There'd be more questions from the parents if he was missing, but more questions from her classmates if he was there.. "Will?"

Will froze, like a kid being caught in the cookie-jar. Like a girl with a crush being caught posting a card to a valentine. It was hard to breathe, Will realized, and the air felt thick; like something she'd need to chew down as her mother's heels click-clacked on the floor towards her door from the outside. She'd heard the pause, as her mother would be taking in the mess of official papers; preparing her lungs to scream. Will scooped up the image of her father and pushed it to the bottom of her pocket. "I'm in here mom!"

"You'd better tidy that up." The door had opened and her mother had revealed herself. Will couldn't help studying the woman's pretty olive skin. Her dark eyes and long wavy hair. Things she would never forget. But she would, she knew, if she was away from them long enough. Will hadn't recognized her father when she'd found the picture. She knew it was him, but it wasn't how she'd recalled him. For one thing, he was smiling, and his eyes shone brightly, while Will remembered them haggard. His nose was more crooked than she recalled, and his maroon-ish hair was closer to brown than her own vivid red. It wasn't fair. She shouldn't have to forget. But then her mother had tried so hard not to let her remember.

"Yeah.. I'm going to."

**...**

The day before parents night always goes quickly for those who dread it the most. Elyon Brown was one of those people, and it was hard to see the poor girl drowning, but have the ability to do nothing. Alborn smiled wearily to Miriadel as they looked from the many full charts to their own small one. Elyon didn't deserve this, but as time grew further away it was easier and easier to forget their old lives. "I think our family chart looks very nice!"

Alborn knew how fond of Elyon Miriadel was, treating the girl as her own daughter for more reasons than duty alone. Alborn himself knew that requirement wasn't the reason he, himself was still here. Nor his wife Miriadel. Elyon was purely a wonderful child, and love brimmed from her very soul when she was happy. The poor girl was bound to face tough times though, and Alborn knew he had to support the now sulking child, who's eyes were still rimmed red. "Absolutely! Less is more."

"Yeah," Alborn saw his poor Miriadel's face fall; sarcasm was Elyon's newest past time, and Miriadel didn't enjoy the rude implications sometimes made. "It's not crowded up with a bunch of family members."

**...**

Caleb was here, watching, but Will still squirmed when she glanced at Elyon fighting with her parents.. Whoever they were. Maybe it was because she could see the tense lines on her mother's face as Principal Knickerbocker told her about the family trees. Maybe it was the subtle comment on her own performance, or the lingering question Knickerbocker was dying to ask about the father's side. About the sticky mess where she'd left the glue to dry without sticking anything on. "I just thought family trees would be a marvellous idea!"

Will let the rest of the conversation slip away as she glanced at the lump of her hand in her pocket. Clutching the photograph. She didn't want it. But she couldn't throw it away.

**...**

"All this family stuff is awful!" Caleb could hear Elyon's voice from his post, but couldn't see her. He couldn't hear what the other person replied though, if they did; so many voices filled the room, and he didn't know which one to listen for. "I was really excited to show you _my _chart. But my folks wont tell me anything!"

_'Dekára,' _Caleb thought: damn. She was getting close.

Caleb leant on the back of the boards the Institute was displaying photos of family on. "It's like I don't even _have _a family."

"Elyon.." Caleb couldn't hear the rest, but the voice was so familiar.. He started to walk along; toward the other end of the room, but something stopped him. Lord Cedric. Caleb whipped his entire body behind the nearest board as Cedric passed by; his long slender hand on Elyon's shoulder. He would have to do something.

"Wi-" Caleb walked out into the open, but Will was nowhere to be seen. She'd moved. He'd have to collect the others and find her. Fast.


	4. Chapter 4

"Those people have been lying to you." Elyon gulped as a bolt of lightning crackled bright streaks through the window, reflecting the rain on Cedric Hoffman's face. She had a feeling she knew what he was saying.. But it was stupid.. How could.. Never..

"Those people?" Elyon wished her voice sounded stronger, but a squeak was all she managed to force from her mouth.

"I did some research. City records. Births.." Elyon didn't like the way Cedric's eyes moved shiftily over the hallway as he pulled out some frayed papers. "Every birth that has occured thirteen years ago.. Halloween."

Halloween. Elyon had never liked that she was born on a day for monsters. A day when all evil is released. Elyon took the papers silently and sifted through. Looking for 'E'. Her heart flipped. "I'm not on here."

Suddenly Elyon regretted every time she'd joked that she'd been adopted. That she'd told her parents she hated them. That she'd pushed herself away.. But why? She realized that they had been lying. She shouldn't feel guilty at all. It was true. It was all true. She'd never meant it, but it was true. Cedric hadn't said it, but she couldn't see any other reason for her parents to lie.. Maybe she _was _adopted.. Or maybe she was only one of theirs.. Maybe.. "You aren't theirs Elyon. You were stolen. From another world."

"Heh-" It had fallen out. A single syllable of a nervous laugh that echoed around the room. Another world. It had to be a joke.

"ELYON?"

Elyon automatically opened her mouth, but held her breath when she saw Cedric's finger on his lips; beconing silence. "Come with me."

"Wha-" Cedric wrapped a gentle, but urgent hand around her wrist, and Elyon followed as he tugged her down the stairs. Once they were behind her parents, Elyon knew she could be in danger, but Cedric only pushed a star into her hands and yanked her arm into the air. Lights glowed from the star and her parents.. Thin, pale skin became grey and leathery.. Green eyes became bright yellow.. They were monsters being released.. Just like Halloween..

**...**

"Susan Vandom," Will slouched in the hard plastic chair provided, swearing that her mother was flirting again as she smiled at _'Dean's_ handshake. "A pleasure."

Someone moaned, and Will smirked at the familiar voice of Uriah Dunn echoing out an apology to his mother somewhere throughout the halls. Will let her head drop back, knowing this would take forever, and closed her eyes; contemplating letting herself fall asleep. Her mother was giggling. Her very middle-aged mother was giigling like a school girl and Will sure as hell didn't want to know why. "Excuse me!"

"Will!" Will sat up too fast and her poorly-constructed chair crashed to the ground; her own bottom firmly landing on the floor as Caleb pushed into the room. He pulled her up by the elbow and Will knew her mother was watching as he whispered into her ear. "Lord Cedric is here, with Elyon."

**...**

"Elyon!" Cedric slunk into the shadows as the heir, Elyon pushed palms against ears. "We brought you here to save your life!"

"You must understand!" The man made a wrong move and Cedric delved into the sweetness of watching Elyon wrench her hand away from his. "You needed protection from your brother!"

"I have a brother?" The child's meager squeak was fascinating to watch as Elyon tried to slice between heavy emotions of surprise, anger and Cedric's favourite.. Disgust.

"Cedric! What have you told her?" Cedric didn't recognize the man, but it didn't matter. All would soon be irrelevant.

"Don't listen to him!" Cedric smiled as the woman lunged in to hug Elyon protectively, but Elyon ducked away, backing into the wall. "He's hurt so many!"

Elyon slid along the wall, further from the two, and Cedric felt sweet victory as tears brimmed at Elyon's eyes. It was beautiful. The girl made a run for the door, leaving her 'parents' standing shocked and rejected. A grin swept over Cedric's lips, "Prince Phobos is so looking forward to meeting you."


	5. Chapter 5

"Cornelia, Cornelia, now why would you want to hide that pretty face?" Cornelia shrugged away her mothers arm, feeling as though she'd like to hide forever. It had occured to her long ago that things were changing, but Cornelia saw now that Elyon might never feel the same about her once the secret was out. Maybe that was what Will was doing, and Cornelia saw now why she might have done the same in Will's shoes. Trying to hold onto normalcy until the very last second. Will hadn't just been giving herself more time to think things through. She'd been giving Cornelia more time. With Elyon.

"Mother!" Cornelia bat away her mother's hand again, but then something caught her eye, out in the storm. Elyon. Running. Will wouldn't have told her without Cornelia would she? No, something else must be wrong. Cornelia had a chance to restore her friendship again.

**...**

"You told your parents I'm your _what_?" Tom Lair smiled down at his seething daughter as a slightly awkward boy grinned gawkily at her, confidence radiating where it shouldn't have been. The poor boy had moments ago introduced his Irma as _'girlfriend' _to his parents and Irma was now ready to explode into a whirlwind of rage.

"Oh, right. _Girlfriend _isn't politically correct these days: it's significant other or.." The boy snorted almost piggishly and Tom himself couldn't help thinking the boy was less than.. Charming.. "Main squeeze! Haha!"

And then Tom felt a sharp peirce in his stomach and he went to glare at Anna for elbowing him, but was faced suddenly by the flustered face of Will Vandom.. The fire girl. He'd fixed the house and the garden, but it was far more compelling that she was here and smiling. "Hi! I need your daughter! Urgent.. Um.. Parent's night business!"

"Sure, Will, it's good to-" Will grinned and yanked Irma away, but as Tom turned to move on he found a hand thrust out in front of him.

"Martin Tubbs. Boyfriend." It was hard not to laugh at the impression of a 'slick' voice Martin did, but Tom knew fine that Irma _'despised Martin with the souls and hearts of all beings living'_. He doubted the young man was telling the truth, but was glad the kid seemed so upbeat about it..

**...**

Irma hadn't thought of W.I.T.C.H. she'd actually thought Will was serious about Parents evening duties or whatever, and Irma had mad a show out of not wanting to do it. This, Taranee knew, as she was watching while the brunette did it: dragging her feet and pretending Will was kidnapping her. "Wow."

"Yep, she's older than you." Taranee grinned as Cornelia said the words with complete sincerity. Will stopped in front of them and Irma quietened down as Caleb came towards them, Hay Lin's hand in his as she complained about all the things she hadn't showed her parents. If it weren't for his skin, Caleb really would look like he was her brother as he pulled her along, mimicking the whining noise until she realized how annoying it was.

**...**

"No.. It can't.." Elyon let the rain scatter over her numb skin as she let a hollow feeling fill her. It didn't make sense at all, but at the same time everything made sense..

"Don't you see how it all fits?" Cedric was the warmth to her frozen nightmare. His body wrapped itself around her in comfort as she let tears fall and loud sobs follow. "You were born in the Metaworld. Meridian, Elyon. It's your kingdom."

Elyon shook her head, shivering heavily as the rain's cold penetrated through her core. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear her mother's voice.. "_You'll catch a cold in the rain.."_

It had been winter, not spring, and Elyon was eleven.. The snow was melting in the rain, but she hadn't finished the snowman. Just a bit more.. That's what she'd been thinking. There was just a bit more to do.. It hadn't occured that it was falling appart faster than she could build, but she did it anyway and her mother'd taken a picture of the pathetic drowning snowman. Drowning in water - it ran like it's own blood. That's how she'd felt. Like she was drowning in herself. Her family. But it wasn't her blood at all. It wasn't her family. She wasn't drowning in her own rain; she was being pushed into foreign waters. And she was being handed a liferaft. "ELYON!"

It was Will. Will. WILL. She wanted to shout. She wanted to yell. She wanted to scream. That girl couldn't keep her nose out of Elyon's business and by the five figures behind her, Will was dragging her friends in too. Not Will's friends. Elyon's friends. Elyon's eyes shifted to the darkest of them as Taranee gasped. "It's the bookseller!"

"He's the beast?" Her eyes began to sting again when they flickered to her best friend. Ex-best friend. "He was so cute!"

"Elyon!" The sting washed away with the rain as Elyon's grim gaze landed again to Will. Will, the little redhead who looked halfway like a boy, and was raising an outstetched hand in warning. Or attack. "Don't listen to anything he says!"

Rage seethed through her as Will's accusation hit Elyon. As if Cedric would lie. Sweet, helpful, understanding Cedric, who pressed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Your _'friends' _have known about this all along."

"You knew?" Elyon had wanted to correct him. She'd wanted to say that Will wasn't her friend. But her eyes were on Cornelia. "All this time, you knew, but you never told me?"

"I wanted to!" The voice sounded genuine, but Elyon didn't know what was real anymore. Then Cornelia glowered to Cedric and Elyon felt a stab of protectivity for the poor man. He was caught up in the middle. "Believe me Elle! Cedric is _not _your friend!"

"Why shouldn't I go to this 'Meridian'?"

"You don't know what you're saying!" Cornelia pushed past Will, who clumsily stepped back. Cornelia was such a backstabber. At least if she was going to dedicate herself to someone else, she could treat _them _with respect. Even if it was Elyon's enemy. Because that's what Will was.. An enemy.

"Oh that's right!" Elyon scoffed; the rain was pounding against her skin so hard she was sure it'd leave a bruise. The noise coming, just from the water pelting of the ground almost hid her own voice with it's roar. "I never know anything! It's Cornelia who has the special secrets! Cornelia I bow down to!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Princesss.." Will could hardly see now, through the rain, pummeling down with a rage. Her clothes clung to and hung loosely down on her thin body as she tried to hear over the crashing bullets of water that were coming down faster than the drains could swallow them. She vaugly felt the flooding water seeping up her jeans and into her trainers as Caleb leapt past her, and suddenly everything was clearer..

"Oh no you don't! Boreíte tis éfyge sta bountroúmia na sapísoun!" Will didn't know what it meant, but the outcome was clear; Caleb was jumping straight for Cedric! "Show your true nature Cedric!"

Will edged closer, and saw a gleam in Cedric's eyes as Caleb, who'd taken the older man to the ground, tightened his grip on Cedric's shirt collar, "And who is _'Her', _your little girlfriend? Phobos wants her Caleb. He'll have her before we are done here I swear it."

And then Caleb was slammed into a wall; thrown off of Cedric by a strong kick from both legs. "Den tha tin angíxei. Aftí aníkei se kamía apó emás."

Caleb was swinging punches left and right, but for every hit he made, Cedric seemed to follow with his own. Until Cedric overpowered him. Will knew she had to do something, "Guardians unite!"

**...**

Elyon couldn't hear, but saw Will's lips moving before everything was blinded by an incredible light. And then it was gone. And the girls..

"Taranee!" Elyon's eyes bulged as Will's voice came from an older looking body, which suddenly took flight. All of the girls had changed, and wings seemed to take her friends into the air as if she was suddenly in some sci-fi nightmare. Taranee; or the being who reacted flew forward in a mash of greens and purples, throwing her hands forward dramatically.

"FIRE!" Obeying the command, fire came out of nothing to fall next to the fighting Caleb and Cedric, seeming to blow up and force the two apart, yelling out.

"EARTH!" Elyon watched in horrored shock as her best friend stepped forward; her shiny blonde hair blowing forcefully in the strong breeze. It was funny how the weather seemed conducted by her emotions at times, but what certainly was not funny were the vines pushing past the tar of the roads and wrapping around Cedric's legs and wrists to tie him to the wall.

Elyon blinked as Will took long strides toward Cedric; pulling out her necklace. Elyon screamed, "STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Then she swore she saw Cedric change for a second, but as he pulled away; slamming Will with ont of his arms into the wall, Elyon knew she'd been mistaken. It was shock, after all. Caleb ran after Cedric, jumping him and pressing his face against the cold ground. Elyon knew the water was rising as the drains backed up. It was at least four inches deep. Caleb was drowning him. "STOP! HE'S DEFENSELESS!"

"Elyon! ..Please! ..Stop them!" Elyon felt her sore and tired body beg for her to collapse as Cedric spoke in sparsed pattern; trying to inhale breaths when he could. Suddenly something coursed through her, like the anger and the pain and the hurt was all colliding at once.

"STOP!" Elyon pulled her hand back; as if burned, as she realised that light had comefrom it. A strong beam of white. Like magic.. But that couldn't be.. She'd only meant to reach out.. To throw out a hand of pleading.. But as she looked around the metals of cars and lampposts seemed to melt; windows and the tar of the road cracked and broke. What had she done? But what scared her the most were her friends. They'd gone flying; most of them landing with an easy thud, but Caleb smashed into a car and Elyon's whole body jerked as it made her jump; the car alarm sirening. People would be coming soon, but it didn't matter: they wouldn't know. Will had skid across the pavement and they'd all changed back when the crystal necklace rolled away from her slightly. "Cedric? What did I do?"

Cedric took her hand and promised her to explain. Elyon took sure comfort in his words, knowing he was right when he'd said they had to run now. Irma's father was a police officer. "Come on Elyon.." Everything blurred as she panted through the streets to the bookstore. They couldn't stop: she couldn't stop. And then they were in the bookshop and she realized how cold she felt with the rain having had drenched her, and the flood seeped into her favourite boots. A childish concern wailed that they'd be ruined. But Cedric was kneeling before her now. "Elyon, princess, you may stay here. Or are you ready to go to your kingdom? To cross to Meridian, it must be of your own free will!"

For a split second Elyon wondered why she'd ever be crossing against her free will, but then an image of Will crossed her mind. Of her lost friends. Of her parents. Anger bubbled inside her for everything that was ruined. "I'm ready."

**...**

Will had been the first to get up, running as fast as her tired legs could carry her as Caleb felt every muscle in his body explode with pain. He was sure he'd broken something, but Caleb pushed on with the others anyway, stopping only, behind Will's small frame in the bookstore. Cedric wasn't here, and neither was Elyon. "Oh, no."

* * *

><p><strong>Boreíte tis éfyge sta bountroúmia na sapísoun - <strong>You left her in a dungeon to rot. (her being Will, _*sigh*_)

**Den tha tin angíxei. Aftí aníkei se kamía apó emás. - **He won't touch her. She belongs to none of us. ('us' being evil people - bad people, people who've done evil things/sinned)


	7. Chapter 7

"I can't believe I didn't spot him! I should've been smarter!" Caleb hissed slightly as Will pressed her hand against his ribcage; checking for breaks. He'd told her he was fine, but it was a compromise to her calling for an ambulance - he didn't think she would, but he knew he needed to be checked out anyway.

"We all feel bad." Will's expression was grim, and his gaze kept wandering to a graze just past her elbow. He supposed she would need a band aid for that too, and he thought it was funny that all they seemed to do was fight or fix one another.. But Elyon was his main concern. "Eh, you're fine for breaks I think.."

"I wanted her in Meridian, but not in the hands of Phobos." Will visibly flinched at the way he spat the name, and Caleb's anger soften slightly. It wasn't her fault. He recalled yelling about her to Cedric, and he still didn't know exactly why. Phobos had put her in the dungeon. Chances were Cedric didn't have anything to do with her disposal into the cylinder hole, but it had come out anyway. Any reason to be angry at the snake.

"Well, we all know who's fault this is!" As Will stepped away from him, Caleb frowned at Cornelia waiting behind her. It was not the time to question authority. "You're the one who wouldn't let me warn her!"

Will whipped around and suddenly all he could see was her back; she was shaking and her sodden clothes hung from her tiny body. She'd get sick if she didn't change. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"I said this would happen!"

Yan Lin coughed, breaking Cornelia's hard gaze as Will wilted beneath it. "Calm girls; if there is ever a time for you to work together, it is now."

Caleb's head dropped as Cornelia went back to glaring, and Will pushed the table away, stomping out of the room.

**...**

"Prince Phobos." Elyon Brown walked through the castle with wide eyes, taking it all in. The world was bleak; dark. The castle was gloomy and dust ridden. Cedric had told her that the sky reflected the feelings of her brother, and that the distressed young prince had let the castle fall into disrepair through his mourning. "Your sister: Elyon."

He was stunning, in the most brotherly way Elyon could muster for the foreign man. He didn't look very kind though, and Elyon's nerves bubbled as she wished he looked softer; like Cedric. As though he heard her thoughts their eyes met then, a flicker of a smile on his lips reassured her. "Elyon. The name of a God."

"I-it's nice to meet you.." Elyon sniffed, suddenly realizing how horrible she must look with her eyes all puffy and red. "I-I, uh, didn't know.."

"I am so glad you are home." Home. Was he talking about the castle? The city? The planet? It felt better though; it was better not to know anything, and be ready to learn, than it had been on Earth; forced to learn, and never intended to be told anything. "Your family."

Elyon looked up to where Phobos was pointing, up to a large wall of paintings. There were so many; each frame marked with the name of the person of whom the picture was of. But Elyon could see something else which was disturbing her. Around the room were several other beings; plant-like creatures which seemed to be looking at her. Whispering. "W-what are those?"

"Now, Elyon." Elyon felt a little better as Cedric's hand rested on her shoulder. "We shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. They might not seem much, but we are all equal. To offend them would be to offend your brother."

Suddenly Elyon felt a lump of guilt in her throat. Who was she to judge them? They were probably just shy.. She had no right to question looks, when she had no clue of their species or any other of the world. She was the alien here. "Right."


	8. Chapter 8

"Who knows what lies he's already told her! We can't just sit here!" Will stared down at the map of portals, trying not to take heed of what Cornelia said. That was what Caleb had whispered in her ear. _'Just ignore her. She would've made plenty more mistakes.'_

"What else can we do?"

"So we just sit here! Again!" It was hard. Getting harder. Will knew Caleb was behind her, and the girls were all around her. If she broke now everyone would know. "Oh, that's brilliant!"

If Will couldn't break, she'd have to do something. She just wanted Cornelia to stop. Because Cornelia was right. "Look, we can't do anything until there's a portal."

**...**

Prince Phobos grimaced as the girl snuck a look at him again. It was so improper for the girl o admire her blood in such a way. Commoners would rekin blood. Phobos would never dream of doing so with this sister of his. "And these are the maps of the kingdom. Your kingdom."

"It's all so wonderful! Just like Cedric said!" She was naive. A child too occupied by herself that she couldn't see the world around him. He didn't even have to hide anything yet. Thanks to Cedric, she believed him to be in mourning of her absence. So, so naive. "I just wonder why they would hide this all from me.."

"Elyon, the world can be selfish. That is why we have the Veil. To split evil from good." The world. It was too easy to pour deceit over this girl. She didn't ask which world. Her assumption was Earth.

Elyon scowled and Phobos wished she wouldn't pucker her plain face. It made her uglier. "It makes me so mad to think I could've been here all along!"

"You shouldn't be angry. You must release the fury." Phobos knew that anger would be useful in fact, but as much as anger helped her power grow, he didn't want to be there to see it. "I'd like for you to try something."

"Huh?"

"A meditation of sorts," Phobos explained. Elyon nodded and smiled in a way he assumed she intended to be sweet. It was despicable. Phobos touched her temples and placed the image of a tank into her mind. A tarantula lay out of view, ready to attack with the most poisonous of venoms. "Touch your palm against the map. Imagine the picture I have shown you."

Elyon was knew to magic, Phobos knew, and a subtle hypnotism allowed him to give her directions to follow without question. Phobos did not hone the power to open a portal. But the light of Meridian did. Especially easily while she was fluctuating.

**...**

"Will..?" Will's eyelids looked heavy as they drooped over glazed eyes. The girls were down stairs and Caleb could still hear Cornelia's ranting from a distance. It was awful to watch Will; her shaking was now a quiver and she kept jerking when she realized that she was falling asleep again. He realized though, how sore her arm must be - standing from her unplastered elbow, with the Heart dangling from her hand: the band of material from which it hung tangled between and around her pale fingers. He'd almost forgotten how restful she was when she slept. Caleb leaned forward over the back of a chair as he took and pressed a band-aid onto her skin. A cool initial reaction, with the intense heat to follow. It was like an explosion at his fingertips, he'd decided. That's what it was to touch the keeper's skin.

Caleb jumped as Will's elbow tensed and she blinked her eyes open and shut a few times, "Caleb?"

"You're bleeding." It was a poor excuse, and Caleb half expected her to stand up and slap him for his close proximity. But that wouldn't be Will.. It was far too anticipated for her to slap him now. No, she'd do it later when he'd nothing wrong. "I was just putting a plaster.."

He trailed off as he became fixated on such a simple action. A yawn. A stretch. Will lay her head back on the table and smiled, her eyes closed. Ready to fall back into a dream. He wondered if she'd ever dreampt about him. Her words spoke through another yawn, "You scared me for a second there.."

Her elbow hit the table too lightly to form a sound; the Heart dangling again. But then it moved. The map shone up in a red cross. Caleb knew Will was aware, her eyes opening unwillingly to the dim orangey glow. "I'll get the others for you."


	9. Chapter 9

"Uh.. Vilchelmínis.." Will frowned at the green eyes on her, was he addressing her? "This doesn't look like Meridian Will.."

Hay Lin walked forward, and Blunk ran ahead; crashing straight into an invisible boundary. "Glass? Is it keeping us out of something?"

"Uh-uh.. In." Will suddenly felt the top of her mouth dry out, and she wished she'd drank Yan Lin's stupid tea instead of falling asleep. It had occurred to her at some point, while still trying to shake away the sleep from her head, that Caleb had sat with her all the while. Will was quite sure she'd have slept with or without him there, but it was comforting to know that Cedric or Phobos couldn't simply walk in and take her while she was sleeping. Caleb was there; his sword lying out on the table. "This is a giant _terrarium_."

Cornelia took a step away and Will took a step toward Caleb. It was an automatic reaction; he was surely more safe than relying on her own instincts, and time had proven that he would look after her when he could. It was a childish thought; a cowardly one. But Will cherished the thought of being the toddler, hiding behind the leg of her protector. Cornelia fell and Irma burst out laughing, "Ew! Why can't we ever end up some place less.. _Dirty_."

"What, like an evil mall?" Irma chuckled and Will took another step to Caleb. She thought she was getting away with it too until his eyes met hers full of questioning.. She decided her life was more valuable than pride and kept going; now taking a few quick strides until she was by his side. Thankfully he didn't questioning it further than visually.. She supposed that telling him she was creeped out of her wits would be about as embarrassing as it could get. Nevermind that she was therefore counting on him to look after her.

And then it was in front of her. Will wasn't generally afraid of spiders. But that was one giant-ass spider.

**...**

The second the tarantula had become visible, Caleb found his hand full; literally. The one question on his mind as he pulled Will away, leaving the other girls to flee by flight, was whether it had been her or him. Either way, she wasn't saying anything currently, and if he'd done it he'd show himself up by speaking up now. So instead he just clutched the warm hand, entangling with her long Guardian form's fingers. "Blunk!"

Caleb knew it would be easier to let go f her hand, but Will didn't slacken grip as the entire group headed for the top of the tree, minus Hay Lin who'd obviously flown for the passling he'd forgotten due to Will. A scream followed and Caleb peered down to Hay Lin, lying on he ground. He had to go. He had to physically pry his hand from Will's hand; not from her grip, which hadn't tightened any, but from his own fear. Fear because that was the little cheery girl who hated sugar nuggets, but bought them because he liked them. Because she was his very fondest friend of the girls other than Will, and because the spider didn't look like it would refrain from eating her. "Mi panikoválleste!"

"What?" Caleb was gone before he could reply to Will. He'd meant to say it in English, but he was mostly saying it to himself anyway. The way Will had held his hand wasn't afraid. It was reassuring. She wasn't afraid; he was. He couldn't recall actually being afraid _of _anything before these girls came into his life. God he hated women.

Caleb landed on the spider and threw the sharper point of a branch at it; he couldn't recall picking the item up, but it was too late to ask questions now as the spider threw him of and came at him with pincer-like legs. "Hay Lin!"

But at a glance Caleb saw red and then Hay Lin was gone; Will's voice rang out like an answer to his silent prayers for help. "Hay Lin! The berries!" Berries slammed into the creature and knocked it away, distracting the tarantula long enough for him to slip away, climbing back up the tree.

"EARTH!" Caleb heard a crashing and dust rose slightly in the enclosure. He could hear the girls talking about spiders, but didn't really take heed what they were saying. He had almost been spider food, and a new sensation was running through Caleb. Actually, the sensation was old, but he'd never felt 'fear' for his life before. It was certainly unpleasant.

Will was suddenly beside him, pointing up to a circular riveted white piece of plastic-type material. "Is that a lid?"

"Let's go for it!"

"Itsy-bitsy still a little too close for comfort!" Irma's humor wasn't funny and Caleb tried to push all thoughts of the gigantic tarantula from his mind. Taranee flew up and suddenly a cram of giant flaming twigs were threatening to burn as they fell past him apparently on the spider as a shriek emitted from the beast.

Hay Lin was alert again, "He can't catch what he can't see!"

Caleb was glad Hay Lin honed the ability to see a 'he' rather than an 'it' in the creature, but he was not glad for the wind pushing the fire's smoke throughout the enclosure. "I can't see!"

* * *

><p><strong>Vilchelmínis - <strong>Wilhelmina**  
><strong>

**Mi panikoválleste -** Don't be afraid

* * *

><p>Couldn't finish! I have to go, but I will have it done hopefully before school tomorrow!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

"Blunk! Give me those sunglasses!" Will tried to find the direction of the voice, but dust was spinning in front of her eyes. She could faintly recall the passling playing with Hay Lin's pair, but hadn't realized the creature had nabbed them.. What was she thinking? Of course it had nabbed them! "Straight up!"

Will flew up and found the other girls; assuming that was what the purple and green blurs were. Caleb called out direction and the girls placed their hands, ready to turn the lid straight up. "PUSH!"

"WILL! LOOK OUT!" Will squinted through the sandstorm and assumed the giant dark shadow must be the spider, apparently not needing sight to find it's victims. The first thing she knew was that she couldn't let it get to the girls. Will let go of the oversized lid and flew at the creature; barely sliding past as it lunged for her and fell a few branches.. Just a few more..

The lid was stuck, she knew from all the moaning and she supposed she ought to get Cornelia to try and squish it with rocks, but Hay Lin seemed to have had an idea, "PICKLED QUAIL EGGS! RUN IT UNDER HOT WATER!"

"Oh! Metal expands faster than glass!" Will dodged the spider again, wishing they'd hurry up, but a thick steam was filling the room and Will abandoned the tarantula-monster, flying up to the girls and Caleb. As she got to the top the lid had been pushed off by the force of Irma and Taranee's hot water, so Will hooked Caleb's arm over he own, letting Cornelia take the other. He'd already told her he wasn't particularly fond of flying; he didn't trust their strength with his weight, but she guessed he'd prefer it to the spider.

It was once they could see again that Caleb seemed to tense up, and when they flew through one of the giant windows she realized why. It was Phobos' castle. Phobos could've been there any minute and squished them like bugs, "Now that Phobos has Elyon's powers on his side, it'll make everything harder!"

"We'll find a portal, hope it returns us to normal size.." She released Caleb's arm, but noticed Cornelia keep hold as he glanced at the scaled up version of Meridian's village. "And come up with a whole new-"

"Is that..?" Irma pointed and Will frowned at the two people struggling at the hands of some guards. She'd never seen them before in her life. "That's Elyon's parents!"

"Phobos' grip grows tighter.." Will felt a shiver of anxiety as Caleb glanced at her wearily, "This'll be a lot harder than we thought."

**...**

"Sorry mom, we're just not hungry." Susan Vandom frowned as Will wrapped her arms around her legs in a tight hug; a telltale sign that something was wrong. At least she had her friends, though they all seemed gloomy and Susan suspected some kind of fight over something as the blonde kept glancing at her daughter with a slight mixture of anger and guilt. She'd raised her own daughter - she knew the face.

"Girls, whatever it is, these teenage problems have a way of working themselves out!" Susan smiled evilly at her daughter, hoping to lighten the mood. "Think about something else.. Like math!"

**...**

Caleb frowned down at his map. It was no use. He couldn't think properly and he knew it wasn't entirely his fault, but Elyon Brown was gone. His best hope. The thing disturbing him more being the memories of how fast-stuck the girl had seemed to her teenagedom and how upset she'd been by the notion of Meridian. Will had made the same decision as he would have, but that didn't mean it had come out right. Will hadn't counted in the fact that Caleb was just as capable of making mistakes and it was because of him that she'd been so sure of her actions. Everything would be falling into place for Phobos, and quite frankly, Caleb wasn't even sure what he was fighting for..


End file.
